Oil-well packing head



Nov. 20, 1928. 1,692,582

W. D. SHAFFER OIL WELL PACKING HEAD Filed 00? 10, 1925 INVENTOR. WILLIAMD. SHAF'FER A TTORNEY Patented Nov. 20, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFECE.

WILLIAM n. SHAIFER, F BREA, CALIFORNIA, assronon or ONE-THIRD TO E. J.WIL- mans, or wnrr'rrnn, CALIFORNIA, AND ONE-THIRD 'ro anonon s.FOSNAUGH, or

COMPTON, CALIFORNIA.

OIL-WELL PACKING HEAD.

Application filed October 10, 1925. Serial No. 61,682.

This invention relates to a packing device for use in connection withoil wells to control gas pressure developed in drilling.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved devicefor supporting in position an'inner string of casing upon an outerstring and for forming between the casings a gas tight joint.

A further object is to provide a device that in will effectuallywithstand high gas pressures oftentimes encountered in the drilling ofoil wells, and which is especially adapted for use in connection withlong heavy strings of tubing.

A still further object is to provide a casing head in which the innerstring is supported by the outer string in such manner as to effectuallysustain the ultimate strength of the casing coupling threads.

2 Still another ob ect is to provide a packing head construction inwhich the inner supported string of easing or tubing can be readily set,or landed with a minimum loss of stretch.

A further object is to provide a packing head having packing meansseparate from the casing supportin means in order that the packing maybe quic ly adjusted or renewed without disturbing the casing.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent as the descriptionproceeds, reference being had to the drawings accompanying the same inwhich:.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the casing head 5 packer attached to the upperend of a well casing, parts being in section to more clearly disclosethe relation of the parts.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the packer.

Fig. 3 is a. detail vertical section through a portion of the packer,taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and especially to Figs.1 and 3, 5 designates a cylindrical sleeve exteriorly threaded on itslower end for engagement withthe internally threaded upper end of stringof outer well casing 6. Sleeve5 is provided in its cylindrical wall Withthe usual gas outlet pipe lines 7 controlled by valves (not shown). Theupper end of sleeve 5 is provided with an internal seat 8 for thereception of a metal packing supporting ring 9 preferably divided forthe purpose of easy assemblage. This ring 1s provided on its upper edgewith an internal annular seat 10 in which is seated a packing ring 11formed of an elastic material. The lnternal diameter of ring 9 is ofslightly larger diameter than the outside diameter of the inner casing12 in order that no binding action may occur when in place.

Secured in screw threaded engagement with the upper threaded end ofsleeve 5 is a ring 13 that forms a member of a packing gland. Interposedin the space between this I ring and the casing coupling 14 is a packingring 15 that serves to form a gas tight joint between the coupling andring when the packer is assembled. Disposed upon pack- 1ng rmg 15 is agland or follower 16 having on lts upper end an annular external flange17. This flange is connected by a series of bolts 18 whose lower endsengage a circular flange 19 that surrounds the sleeve 5 of the packerand bears against an annular shoulder 20 formed on said sleeve. Bytightening the nuts 21 of the bolts 18 the gland or follower is forceddownwardly against the packing ring 15 to compress the same 'tocompletely fill the space between the ring 13 and the casing coupling.

It will be understood that the method of supporting an inner string ofeasing on an outer string by employing split or divided packing ringswith a rubber packing surrounding the casing is old in the art, but theheavy weight of long strings of casing now generally employed in thedrilling of oil wells has oftentimes resulted in the rubber packingsqueezing the casing so that its inward and objectionable features areobviated.

By using a small packing ring 11 immediately under the coupling-ayielding cushion is provided for any unevenness of the casing coupling,and not enough packing that can readily crush the pipe. The packing 11disposed under the coupling is found to be quite essential in thedistribution of the load, for if the coupling rested directly on thesteel ring 9 and'the underside of the coupling did not bear perfectlyaround its annular edge the weight of the casing would be shifted to oneside of the coupling, and thereby impose a severe strain on the threadsof the cou-' pling, which would tend to cause the casing to' strip thethreads and drop.

sired amount of stretch in the casing is attained when the casing issecured. By forming the stufiing box so that the sleeve 13 can bereadily separated from the body 5 at the seat, the acking 11 and thering 9 can be readily sipped into position and thecoupling 14 is set inposition. At the same time very little ofthe stretch attained asheretofore noted is lost as compared with the stretch lost if thecoupling had been raised to the top of the stuffing ox in order toinsert the split rings and packing under the coupling.

What I claim is:

1. A casing head construction comprising a tubular body member adaptedto be detachably secured to the upper end of a string of well casing,said body member provided with an internal seat adjacent its upper end,a metallic packing supporting ring having an internal annular seatdisposed upon the seat of said body member, a packing ring mounted onthe metallic ring disposed upon the annular seat of the metal ring forcushionlng a couplin of an inner string of tub- -ing, a circular s eevedetachably secured to the upper end of the body member, a second packingring disposed within said sleeve to pack the space between the tubingcoupling and the circular sleeve, a gland follower disposed upon thesecond named packing ring, and means to move the gland follower tocompress the last named packing ring.

2. A casing head construction comprising a tubular body member adaptedto be detachably secured to the upper end of a string of well casing,said body member being provided with an internal seat adjacent its upperend, a metallic supporting ring disposed upon the seat of said bodymember, a circular sleeve detachablvsecured to the upper end of the bodymember, a packing ring disposed within said sleeve to pack the spacebetween the tubing coupling and the circular sleeve, a gland followerdisposed upon the packing ring, and means to move the gland follower tocompress the packing ring.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my namethis 3rd day of August, 1925.

-WILLIAM D. SHAFFER.

